Recipe

Hertzoggies (Jam & coconut tartlets)

Makes 12 tartlets

This traditional South African sweet treat is actually very simple to make, ever so popular, and difficult to resist. You may remember them from your grandmother or mother’s own kitchen, or perhaps you loved buying them from a local home industry, at a market or church fête. These little sweet tarts are the perfect combination of a crispy pastry with a sweet jam filling, crowned with a fluffy, lightly toasted coconut-infused meringue.

In an ideal world, a homemade shortcrust pastry would be the best, but for this recipe, a good-quality, shop-bought pastry works just as well. Do make the effort to first blind bake the pastry cups before filling them – this is the only way to get that crispy base just right. It’s not difficult, just follow the steps below.

I gave this recipe a little twist by using two different types of jam as the filling – just a little added surprise for the one biting into them. So get creative and use different types of jams for these special tea time treats. Apricot jam is the traditional option, but a mixed berry or strawberry jam is just as delicious. I filled half with apricot and the rest with a mixed berry jam … yummy!

Ingredients

1 roll (400 g) good-quality, shop-bought short crust pastry

180-200 ml good-quality jam of your choice like chunky apricot, strawberry or mixed berry, or even a combination of these

2 large egg whites, at room temperature

80 ml (⅓ cup) castor sugar

150 ml desiccated coconut

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220 °C. Lightly grease a muffin pan or patty pan tin, with openings of about 6 cm in diameter, with butter.
2. On a lightly floured clean work surface, roll the pastry slightly thinner using a rolling pin, until even in thickness.
3. Using a cookie cutter, cut pastry in 12 circles of about 1 cm bigger in diameter than the holes of the pan.
4. Line each hole with a piece of pastry and gently shape onto the base and press against the sides. Prick each piece of pastry a few times with a fork – it allows steam to escape and result in a better crust for the tartlets. Line each pastry cup with a small piece of foil, shiny side towards the pastry and fill with dried beans or uncooked rice.
5. Blind bake for 10 minutes or until the pastries are light golden brown and cooked – take care not to overbake them, as they could become too hard. Reduce oven temperature to 160 °C. Remove foil and beans or rice, and allow pastries to cool down slightly.
6. Divide jam or jams between pastry shells and smooth evenly on top.
7. Meringue: Place egg whites in a dry, clean glass bowl and whisk with an electric beater until soft peaks (that fold over easily) form when the beater is lifted from the mixture.
8. Continue to beat while adding the sugar in two batches. Beat until the egg whites are glossy and have reached stiff peak stage (peaks stay upright), when the beater is removed.
9. Gently fold coconut into the meringue using a metal spoon, without losing the air in the mixture.
10. Divide meringue between tartlets on top of the jam and shape meringue with the back of a teaspoon to form small points.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until meringue is light golden brown. Remove from oven and pan, allow to cool and serve as dessert or a teatime treat.

Tips

1. Homemade short crust pastry will be absolutely delicious if you have the time to make it yourself. Use this recipe here.
2. Add 5-10 ml (1-2 tsp) finely grated lemon rind to the jam to balance out the sweetness.

Photo by Adel Ferriera for LiG Tydskrif‘s Winter 2026 issue